Prontera Parish
by Raine Hyrule
Summary: A collection of short stories about the lives of the people who work, play, and study within the church walls.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Prontera Parish is not only a church. It is also an institution designed to help the needy.

With this in mind, the head priest of Prontera Parish during the year of our gods, 1847, Serge Whitecross, opened up part of the church to become a school for orphans, underprivileged children, and to any other child who opened their heart to the gods.

There is even a place for them to eat and sleep, if they need it. Students of Prontera Parish do not just study; they also take turns to do various chores that need to be done around the church. This will teach them responsibility and will ingrain in them the habit of cleanliness.

Prontera parish is a co-ed school, meaning that it is both for young men and for young women.

But not to worry, they are always being supervised by an adult.

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_Hehe. ._

_Does it sound weird? Anyway, the following short stories will be about the lives of the people that live, work, love, and study in this school._

_Not just the students. ;p_

_Oh yah, please don't judge this whole series on this one introduction… I don't really know how to write and introduction. XD_


	2. Of Boys and Acolytes

_A fun little story to start off the series. :D_

_Tell me what you guys think, okay? R and R :3_

_Please and thank you!_

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**Boy-Watching in Prontera**

Aurikku Pryor, Satsuki Misaki, Natsumi Nocturne, and Shizuku Mizu walked out of the southern gate of Prontera, breathing in the wonderfully clean air outside the walls of Rune-Midgard's capital city. Aurikku, in particular was very, very cheerful.

"Ahh!" She exclaimed, as she bent down to pick a flower. "Thank goodness we were able to escape today! It was my turn for cleaning duty." The brown haired acolyte made a face. "And you all know how Headmistress Vanderbilt is." She stuck out her tongue for good measure.

Mizu laughed at her expression as she gingerly sat down beside the others. She ran her hand through her light-blue hair. "The fields of Prontera look so… Beautiful! It almost makes me feel like I'm back in Payon." Mizu was a foreigner from Payon. She came to Prontera to study the holy arts.

For a while, they sat there in the grassy field, staring up at the clouds and pointing out to each other the different shapes that formed. It was Natsumi that started the mayhem. The blonde girl was the first to notice them. She leaned over towards the group then whispered, "See that priest over there? The one wearing those silly cat ears?" They looked, turned back to her, then nodded. She grinned mischievously then whispered again, "He's really cute…" Stunned silence, then they were suddenly overtaken by laughter. The priest looked at them curiously, shrugged, then walked into the city.

So began their boy-watching session. Of course, they didn't call it boy-watching. They merely referred to it as the surveillance of the male species. It was Mizu who thought of that. Really, they made boy-watching sound like a science. Aurikku could not believe how many absolutely hot guys were in the vicinity of Prontera right now. Satsuki spied another one. "Hey, look at that one. That assassin… Isn't he absolutely gorgeous?" She practically yelled. The assassin looked up, blushed, and then tipped his hat at them. All of them waved back, except for Satsuki, who was blushing like mad and hiding behind a poring.

All of a sudden, Aurikku spotted a crusader astride his valiant Grand Peco. His unruly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes gave her butterflies in her stomach. She turned to the group and whispered, "Now that crusader. He is hot. Definitely, way hot." She glanced again at the crusader and she was fairly surprised that he was riding towards them! She sighed dreamily and thought, 'He must have spied me and was as enthralled with my beauty as I was by his cuteness…' She giggled to herself. Her friends, meanwhile, were very confused.

"What crusader?" Satsuki asked, her face contorted with confusion.

"Yah, Riks… I can't see any crusader here." Natsumi's eyes were squinted, and she had her hand shading her eyes to avoid the sun's glare.

"Don't worry gals… He's coming." Aurikku softly said, the blush in her face noticeable.

The crusader stopped in front of them. He dismounted, his blue cape billowing in the wind. The light reflected off of the sword in his belt. Aurikku was ready. Here was her valiant crusader. Here was the love of her life! She slowly opened her arms.

The crusader suddenly enveloped Satsuki in a tight embrace. "Satsuki! Satsu-Chan! How I missed you so!" The acolyte floundered in his embrace.

"Your thick armor… Is crushing me… Can… Hardly… Breathe…" The crus immediately stopped and stared at her with wide eyes.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, Satsu-Chan!" He plunked down on the ground beside her. "Are you alright now, huh? Did I hurt you too badly?" Satsuki, in reply, hit him on the head.

"You idiot!" She started hitting him repeatedly, the bump on the crusader's head grew bigger and bigger every time. Aurikku, meanwhile, was feeling a bit out of sorts.

'What happened to my prince?' She thought, annoyed. After a while, Satsuki and the crus slowly realized that they were not alone. They stopped fighting, mortified at having been caught acting so childish. The brunette ('Satsu-Chan' Aurikku thought.) finally introduced him.

"Friends, this is Masaru Misaki!" She pointed at the crusader, who nervously scratched his cheek. "Masaru! These are…" She pointed at each of her friends as she introduced them. "Shizuku Mizu, Natsumi Nocturne, and Aurikku Pryor!" Masaru Misaki smiled at all of them. After a moment, he stood up and wiped the grass stains of his armor.

"It was nice to meet you all!" He ran his hand through his hair. "I hope that I see you all at the Stardust Festival." He climbed unto his High-PecoPeco and waved goodbye to them. "Oh yes, one last thing. Take care of my sister for me, will ya? She's not very bright."

"Why you!" Satsuki threw a rock at him, but he had already galloped away, laughing his head off. "Pesky brother," she muttered as she fixed her braid. "Well, guys? Wanna get back to the church? Old mother superior won't excuse our being late." She started skipping towards the gate, humming the Pronteran national anthem.

As Aurikku followed her, her frown was slowly replaced by a grin. Her brother. He was just her brother!


	3. Of Kitchen Duty and Memories

_Hehehe… ;P _

_A fluffy-ish story! XD_

_I'm sorry if it's too darn mushy XO_

_Hope you guys are enjoying these stories… They aren't much, but at least they're something. :P_

_Read and Review… Please? Ty!_

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**Grey Gets Help in the Kitchen**

Grey Wilde and Nicole Solaris cheerfully walked towards the kitchen. It was Grey's turn for kitchen duty, and he was glad that his best friend was going to help him out. Nicole was a wonderful cook. "Okay, Grey. We're gonna be making Cream of Asparagus soup, Veggie Pasta, and Strawberry Gelatin." She put on an apron and started gathering the ingredients. Grey made a face.

"Asparagus! Vegetables! That's rabbit food, man!" Nicole shrugged.

"Well, it's healthy…" He sat on a stool and laid his head on his arms. He looked at her as she bustled around the kitchen. Suddenly, he was struck by a bright idea.

"Let's put laxatives in the mother superior's soup!" He grinned evilly, remembering all the times that she foiled his acts of mischief. Nicole rolled her eyes and shot him a withering look.

"Oh please, Grey. We're not kids anymore." Grey sunk lower in his seat, thoroughly chastised.

"It was just an idea…" He grumbled. 'Geez... Why's she so uptight? I wish that we could go back to the good old days… back when we first met…' He smiled absentmindedly as his thoughts traveled back… back… it was about 10 years ago.

_6-year old Grey Wilde grumbled quietly to himself as his mother pulled his arm. "Come on, Greyikins! We're just going to our neighbor's house to pay a friendly visit. There's a little girl there about your age. Anyway, I have to get Edna's recipe for pumpkin pie." Grey scowled. He hated girls. And he hated pumpkin pie. But he was powerless to resist his mother's urgent pulls. They stopped in front of a house with blue flowers growing in pots near the door. His mother rang the doorbell. After a few moments, a pleasant-faced, dark-haired woman opened the door. When she saw them, her face broke into a smile._

"_Gina! And your little boy, too! Come in, come in. I'll serve some tea." Gina and Grey Wilde entered the cozy home graciously, but even though his mother's face was cheery, Grey's was stormy and petulant._

_The door shut behind them and Grey was surrounded by the pleasant smell of cinnamon. Edna walked over to the stairs and shouted up, "Nicole! Get down here!" Rapid footsteps sounded upstairs as someone ran towards them._

"_What ma! Can I have some cin-" Her half-shout was stopped abruptly when she saw that they had company. She went down the rest of the stairs quietly, sneaking glances at both Grey and his mother. After going down the stairs, she hid behind her mother. Gina pushed her son gently from behind._

"_Go on Grey, say hi." Grey sighed and greeted her sullenly. Edna sighed and did the same with her daughter. Nicole emitted a barely audible_

"_Hi". The two mothers clucked their tongues and exchanged a glance. Nicole's mother patted her daughter's back. "Go on now. Both of you play in Nicole's room. Your mom and I will be right down here, drinking teas and chatting." The two sighed and trudged up the stairs._

_After a few minutes of shy silence, Grey cleared his throat. "Do you have any Hero action figures? Like maybe Chaos with his wild red hair! Or maybe cool Loki the assassin!" Nicole nervously fingered her tresses._

"_Uhm… I'm sorry. I don't have them. But I do have Iris the priestess! And Barnaby the purple Peco-Peco too!" She wiggled the two toys she was holding in her hands. One was a shapely doll with long brown hair, the other was a purple bird._

"_What the! Dolls? I don't wanna play with those stupid girly toys!" Nicole put down the toys, her eyes downcast. Her lips quivered._

"_So you duwanna play with me?" Grey waved his hands frantically._

"_Don't cry! My mother will get mad at me!" Nicole looked at him, her blue eyes wide. Her lips trembled even faster. The boy raised his hands in defeat,_

"_Alright! Alright! I'll play!" The girl immediately smiled, and her eyes lost any sign of sadness._

"_Yey!" She handed him a knight-doll wearing pink boots. "Here, you can be Sergeant Patty!" Then she took a blonde mage and sort of wiggled it in front of Grey's doll. She made her voice higher, "Hello, Sergeant Patty! How's your baby?" Grey looked at her, his eyes wide. Then he sighed and shook his head. How could he have sunk so low? He wiggled the doll he was holding in the same way as Nicole had._

"_Oh, my baby's just fine. Sleeping like, well, a baby! How about your dog?" Nicole giggled and smiled widely at him. And Grey smiled back._

16-year old Grey Wilde laughed quietly to himself. Nicole Solaris turned towards him, a curious look on her face. "What's up, Grey?" He looked at her, smiling and remembering the good old days. She looked at him through squinted eyes. "You're totally freaking me out, Grey!" The boy shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Sorry. Nothing's up. I just spaced out there." Nicole grinned and leaned over the counter.

"Really? Any particular reason why?" He was about to answer when the oven started dinging. "Oh dang… Hold that thought, Grey. I have to fix this." Grey nodded absentmindedly as he rested his head in his hands. His mind drifted back to the past again. 'We'd always get into fights of course, those really stupid fights that kids get into, but we always managed to make up.'

"_Chaos is way better than Loki!" Grey declared, his hands rested firmly on his hips._

"_Nu-Uh!" Nicole defiantly declared, flipping her long, blonde hair. "Loki's definitely the best! He's fast, he's cool, and he's really smart! And cute too!" She gushed, making Grey sigh in disgust._

"_Please, Nicole! Chaos is totally cooler than he is! He's really strong!"_

"_But stupid!" Nicole interjected, laughing._

"_He is NOT stupid!"_

"_Is too!"_

"_Is not!" Grey, out of total annoyance, pushed her softly._

"_Is too!" Nicole pushed him back harder, and it continued in this way 'til they both started rolling down the hill. And even then, they were still screaming arguments. When they reached the bottom, they spit out some grass that ended up in their mouths, then looked at each other with squinty eyes. "Look what you did!" Nicole angrily cried while rubbing her dirt-smudged cheek._

"_What I did! You mean what you did!" He puffed out his cheeks in anger. Suddenly, Nicole giggled. "What's so funny?" Grey sullenly asked._

"_You just look so… silly!" She giggled again. For a moment, he looked at her like she was insane, then he started chuckling, too._

"_You look silly too, silly!" Then they both erupted in giggles._

'Of course, I was her knight-in-shining armor… Well, in dirt-smudged clothes, anyway.'

_Nicole and Grey, aged 10, were walking home from the market, laden down with a basket full to the brim with vegetables. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, 3 scruffy young boys came out of an alley. One of them, who had very spiky bright orange hair, waved mockingly at them. "Hi there, girlies!" Grey silently steered Nicole away from the ruffians, but they followed. Another boy, dressed in leather and fishnets, turned to the spiky-haired one._

"_Gee, boss… Don't those oranges look really delicious?" The third boy, whose white hair hung limply over his face, nodded enthusiastically._

"_They would really taste good after a hard day of pick-pocketing…" The boss smiled at them,_

"_Good thinking, guys." He turned towards the two kids, his outstretched hand reaching towards the basket. Grey went in between them and Nicole._

"_Don't touch her or the basket." He glared at them menacingly. The 3 boys laughed._

"_A tough one, huh? You'll be sorry, kid." They advanced menacingly towards him. Grey turned to Nicole._

"_Run, Nicole!" Nicole looked at him, her eyes a mixture of fear and stubbornness. She didn't want to leave him. "Now!" He shouted, pushing her gently yet firmly. She looked at him again, with that same look in her eyes, then she ran._

_Grey Wilde cracked his knuckles and went into an offensive stance. Now this was one of the reasons why he trained and exercised everyday. He smiled at the three, his eyes twinkling with anticipation and filled with one message only. "Bring it on."_

_He walked the rest of the way home, dirty and worrying about Nicole. He fumbled for his house key then let himself in. Nicole sat in his kitchen, holding a cup of tea. In front of her was a steaming kettle full of tea. She heard him enter and stood up, facing him. "Grey? You're okay!" She ran towards him and hugged him very tight._

"_Oof! Geez Nicole, You don't have to suffocate me!" He playfully stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed and jokingly swatted his shoulder._

"_What did you do!" Grey smirked._

"_I just talked to them about being nice." Nicole tugged a strand of her hair._

"_Really? Then why are you so dirty?" Grey shrugged._

"_Hey, the past is the past. Just forget about it, okay?" Nicole raised an eyebrow, then sighed._

"_Alright…"_

'There were lots of times were we just talked and had fun… When we'd just run and run and run, with nary a care for rules or stuffy regulations… Life was so free then.'

"_You can't catch me!" 13-year old Nicole sang out as she ran through fields of sunflowers. Her friend Grey was running behind, trying to catch her. Their laughter cut through the silence of the fields, and they kept on running and playing 'til they collapsed, dead tired, on a green patch of grass. They were breathing hard as they lay on the grass, side by side. Grey sat up and turned towards Nicole._

"_Wow… Hey, Nicole! My heart's beating really fast! Like a Lunatic's!" Nicole sat up too._

"_Really? Hey, that's neat!"_

"_Here, listen!" He lay back down. Nicole laughed and leaned over, putting her ear to his heart. Grey was suddenly, acutely, aware of her and the nearness of their warm bodies. He smelled the flowery scent of her hair as strands of it strayed to his face and tickled his nose. He was conscious of her hand that was laid on top of his arm. And he was also very aware of how delicate she seemed, and how big and clumsy he was in comparison. The she straightened up, and those feelings were gone. Instead, they were replaced by a deep-seated confusion, of the type that he had never experienced before._

"Grey. Grey. Grey!" A voice interrupted his reverie. Nicole snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hello!"

"Oh! Hi! Sorry, I spaced out." His friend felt his forehead.

"Are you okay? You seem to be spacing out a lot lately." Grey waved her hand away, laughing.

"Geez, I'm fine! Don't worry." Nicole shrugged and pushed forward a steaming bowl of soup.

"Here, try this. It's newly cooked!" Grey shrugged,

"Sure, why not? Thanks, Nicole." He took a tentative sip. "Hey! This is pretty good!" He started slurping down the soup with gusto. Nicole sat across from him, a smile on her lips.

"Hey, do you still want to go through with the 'laxatives in the mother superior's soup' plans?" Grey shrugged.

"If you want to." He smiled and continued drinking the soup. Nicole's smile grew wider.

"Of course I want to. That's why I made you the test subject." Grey's spoon stopped in mid-air. He stared at Nicole with wide, wide eyes. He wanted to get mad at her, he wanted to wring her neck, but all he did was rush to the bathroom. All he heard from the kitchen was Nicole laughing and gleefully crying,

"Gotcha!"


	4. Of Daydreaming and Theology

_Sigh… Just a short little ficcie… Written to introduce some new characters. XP_

_More to come… :D_

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**Theology 101**

"Alright class, let's have a quick summary of the lesson today. Loki tricked Baldr's brother, Hodur, into killing Baldr with a twig of mistletoe. Because of this, Loki was chained to three boulders deep under the earth, with a snake dripping venom unto his eyes. His wife, Sigyn, stayed faithful to him all throughout, catching the snake's venom with a little bowl. But when the bowl is full, she has to leave him to empty it. When she does this, the venom drips unto the trickster god, making him writhe in pain. This causes earthquakes. Loki will only be released when Ragnarok comes." Professor Crescence Hyrule took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly at his class.

"Now, can anyone tell me what the first 9 runes are called and what they do?" He looked around, searching for a face that didn't look confused… Or sleepy. His search ending in vain, he finally just closed his eyes and poked his finger at the class list. He glanced at the name his finger landed on, and then announced the name to the class. "Prophesy Hyrule!"

Prophesy sat at his desk near the window, watching the pretty new teacher, Carol Hart, teach her students. Her class was seated below the apple tree in the church garden; the students sitting down on the grass and among the flowers, Miss Hart taking a seat on a handy gray boulder. He was hardly aware of the odd noises in the classroom (the class was usually as silent as a grave). He ignored his seatmate Natsumi's persistent pokes to his side. He snapped back to reality when a hand waved in front of his face, disrupting his view. "Huh? What gives!" He angrily looked up at the person whose hand was in between him and the window. His stormy blue eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Oh. Uh, hi Sir."

The professor chuckled. "Welcome back, Proph. You're physically present, but mentally absent, eh?" Prophesy hung his head, covering his face with long, blue, strands of hair. His teacher chuckled softly again. "Don't worry, I won't punish you. If I were in your position, I'd surely do the same thing. Miss Carol Hart does make a lovely view, doesn't she?" The boy felt his face heat up as his classmates tittered. The teacher went back to the blackboard and started writing something on it. As he wrote, he spoke to the class. "Our next lesson will be about the Valkyries, so you guys should maybe do some advanced reading on them. Be sure to study our past lessons, because we'll be having a surprise quiz on Friday." He turned around and winked at the class. He sat behind his desk then waved towards the door. "Class dismissed."

At that, the students stood up and dutifully recited, "Goodbye and thank you, Mr. Hyrule." Prophesy sighed and started gathering his things. It was really hard having your brother as your professor.


	5. Of Commendations and CloseCalls

_Part 1 of 3 chapters. Sorry if it doesn't make that much sense right now. XD_

_Please review… Thanks a lot._

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**Inquisition: Part 1/3**

A female monk slammed her hand down unto Gertrude Vanderbilt's desk, and gestured wildly into the air. "Headmistress Vanderbilt! I've noticed that Grey Wilde has gone beyond my expectations. He's been advancing at an exhilarating rate! He's way ahead than the most of the other students. He wields his arnis **(1) **sticks like they were part of him!"

The headmistress looked at Lana Alarius, coach of the arnis team and a teacher of biology, over the tops of her half-moon glasses. "I see. And what do you propose I do about it?" She asked, a gray eyebrow arching into a puzzled expression.

Lana smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well, headmistress… There just happens to be an arnis competition next week. I was just wondering if Grey could be our contestant. To ready him for the event, I was thinking that perhaps I could… Take some of Grey's class time? I could use that extra time for extra training sessions." The young monk's smile grew wider and she drew her hands together for an innocent-looking and pleading pose.

The headmistress shook her head at the monk's antics and shrugged. "Fine, fine. Just make sure that Mr. Wilde is agreeable. Don't worry, I'll call him into my office later."

The blonde biology teacher mock-saluted. "Yes, Ma'am! Thanks lots!"

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Prophesy Hyrule sat outside the headmistress's office, casually stretching out his legs. Yes, his outward appearance may have made it seem like he was relaxing at the park, but inside, he was nervous. Very nervous. 'Why did I have to skip out on my trigonometry class? I should've just stayed like Natsumi and Satsuki wanted me to.' He sighed forlornly as he remembered why.

During his last free period, he wandered around Prontera and accidentally bumped into a cute, red-headed swordswoman named Amfielle. So enthralled was he that he agreed to meet with her at Prontera's grand fountain at 1-o'clock the next day. He had forgotten that he had class that day. Well, needless to say, he had spent his trigonometry period sitting down on a bench in front of the fountain, holding 2 melting ice cream cones, listening to the sound of water trickling from the fountain, and fighting the urge to go to the bathroom, lest Amfielle show up.

When he trudged back to the church, hot, sweaty, and with 2 sticky hands that smelled of vanilla and strawberry, he was met with the not-so-welcoming figure of his mathematics teacher, Vincent Frost, leaning against the large wooden front door of the church, his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed.

He was sent immediately to the headmistress' office, or rather, outside it. He waited on the cloth-covered seats, his eyes darting nervously from painting to painting, as he waited for the room's wooden door to open and seal his fate.

He looked up as the dreaded door opened. A green-haired head poked out of it, purple eyes sparkling, lips formed into a mischievous smile. One of his teachers, Lana Alarius, smiled brightly at him then traipsed down the hallway, swinging her arms so exuberantly that people walking along the halls pressed their backs against the walls when she passed them.

The door of the headmistress' office gaped widely at him, and Prophesy could clearly see Miss Vanderbilt sitting behind her desk, beckoning him with a pale and bony finger.

The blue-haired acolyte gulped loudly and slowly trudged into her office, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the surprisingly comfortable leather chair and shot a glance at the headmistress. She was staring at him gravely over her glasses. Nothing was said. Prophesy was starting to get uncomfortable.

Finally, Gertrude Vanderbilt started to talk. "Mister Hyrule. I have received word that you have been cutting classes." Prophesy gulped and shifted uneasily in the chair. The headmistress clasped her hands and placed them on her desk, her eyes never leaving her student's face. "Explain yourself." The boy fidgeted some more and placed his hands on his lap. His hands were shaking.

"I… I…"

"You have been charged with a very serious offense, Mister Hyrule. Very serious." The student swallowed. Hard. "Do you know what the school's punishment for such an offense is, Mister Hyrule?" Prophesy shook his head. His school's headmistress stood up and walked over to a closet, her skirts swishing softly as she moved. She opened the closet, and in the shadows, Prophesy could make out something very long with a large, sharp-looking head. Miss Vanderbilt ran her hand across the back wall of the closet, which was swathed in shadows, and he heard the jingle of metal knocking on metal. Somehow, the sound wasn't merry at all, but was deep and sinister. Proph felt his soul fill with dread.

She reached up to pull the chain that turns on the closet light, but her hand stopped when the heavy oak door of her office slammed open.

"Headmistress!" James Metcalfe, one of the teachers working in the Parish, was stooped over, trying to catch his breath. "H-Headmistress! Statue… Garden… It ju-ju-just…"

Miss Vanderbilt hastily closed the closet and hurried over to James. "What is it? What happened?" She patted him on the back a few times and repeated her question. "What happened, James?"

After awhile, the handsome young priest brought himself up to his full height. Prophesy noticed that he was more than a head taller than the aging headmistress. "Headmistress. Someone has vandalized the statue of the goddess Eir. It is nearly split into two! And to add insult to injury, The hoodlums have even sprayed graffiti all over it!" The mother superior gasped out loud and bustled out the door. After a second, she poked her head into the room again.

"James! What are you waiting for? We have to hurry!" James Metcalfe nodded and rushed past her. Miss Vanderbilt swiveled her gaze to Prophesy, and exhaled noisily. "You, young man, will have two weeks of extra cleaning and cooking duties. Be happy that I let you off easy this time. Remember that I will not tolerate any other misbehaviors from you again!" She paused, then added, "Please tell Mister Wilde that I want to see him as soon as possible." She then bustled off toward the gardens, her skirt swishing noisily as she ran.

---

**(_1)_**_ Arnis – The ancient weapon art which uses two sticks of equal length, twirled in "weaving" fashion for blocking and striking._


	6. Of History Classes and Torture Devices

_I think I'll make this a 3-part instead of a 2-part. :s_

_This is the second story out of three. I used the word 'heretics' too much in one part. :o_

_Please tell me what I can do to improve my stories. Thank you._

_Thanks to all those who reviewed… :D_

_Marlois: I just like the name, I guess… I never really thought of it…._

_Now that you mention it, maybe my name should be Raine Nocturne instead. XD_

_Nah._

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**Inquisition: Part 2/3**

Seryu Cerulean was a history teacher, the primary instructor on Protection Magic, and an educator of Rune Studies all rolled into one silver-haired, brown-eyed package. Wasn't she the child prodigy who had mastered several different courses when she was just 17? Hadn't she been valedictorian of a class wherein she was years younger than her classmates? Hadn't she been featured in Scribendi, the top-selling magazine in Rune-Midgard, only a few years after she graduated? She had faced many things, and she had conquered them all. She could do this. Of course, she had never faced a whole class full of hyper teenagers before.

She cleared her throat. "Excuse me, class. This is a history class, not a rave party!"

A few minutes of silence, and Seryu sighed with relief. Then a red-haired girl turned to her friend and exclaimed, "Speaking of parties, there's one tonight at Damon's house. Wanna go?" Her friend squealed,

"Ohmygosh, Damon? That hot swordsman!" That started it up again. Now the noise slightly reminded Seryu of a chonchon fly. Buzzing, buzzing, always buzzing. The buzzing grew to a low roar. The teacher groaned with annoyance and slapped her hand to her forehead. She tried another tactic.

"Hey, class! What don't you like about history, anyway?" A chorus of replies rang out.

"It's boring!" Some cried.

"Who cares about the past!" Another shouted.

"We wanna hear about wars and bloody stuff," Yelled a group of guys in the corner.

Seryu raised her hands for quiet. She waited until the classroom rang with her favorite type of music. Silence.

"Hmm. Why should we care about the past? Well, if we don't look at our past, then we'd just keep making the same mistakes over and over again." All of the students started speaking at once.

Seryu raised her hands again. Silence.

"About your other two comments, how history is boring, and how you want to hear about blood-shed. There are many times where history was definitely not boring, you know. And Rune-Midgard's history is soaked in blood. Wars, persecutions, you name it, humans have done it." She paused and smiled at her class. Now, she was in her element.

"Let me teach you about something that's… a little close to home, so to speak. Corrupt priests, torture, burning at the stake…" Seryu looked around at her class, which was quiet as a grave and hanging on to her every word. "I'm talking about the inquisition." One of her students raised her hand. She pointed at her. "Name please?" The blue-haired acolyte flashed her a timid smile and told her, a bit hesitantly,

"Mizu, Miss Cerulean. Shizuku Mizu. I'm the exchange student from Payon."

"Oh yes. Of course. Now, your question?" The student fidgeted a little in her seat and asked her,

"Doesn't inquisition mean asking questions? Why would there be torture during an inquisition, then? Uhm… Well, maybe I haven't fully mastered your language, but… Well, that's what I've always thought… Inquire… Ask… Questions…" She trailed off helplessly, then shrugged. Seryu grinned reassuringly at her.

"You are correct, Mizu. Inquisition does mean asking questions. The Church was asking questions to those whom they deemed heretics, though those so-called heretics were usually no more than herbologists or crude doctors. Since the 'heretics' wouldn't confess that they were heretics, religious fanatics would usually torture them until they would sign a piece of paper saying that they were, actually, heretics." The class gasped.

"That's horrible!" Eluoj Oridel, the class president, exclaimed. His brow was wrinkled with disgust. Seryu nodded solemnly.

"Though it's horrible, it's still very true." She suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh yes! I almost forgot. Wait a minute, class." She walked out of the classroom. The moment she left, the class burst into excited chatter.

Natsumi turned towards her seatmate, Prophesy. "So, Proph. What happened in the headmistress's office? Did she let you off easily?" Satsuki, who was seated right behind Prophesy chimed in,

"Yes, what happened?" The boy shook his head and pushed up his glasses.

"She was horrible. That old witch." He shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it."

Satsuki poked him. "That bad eh? What's she making you do?" Natsumi laughed.

"Come on! It can't be worse than what she made me do when I got caught." The blonde had been caught several weeks before smoking behind the church with an archer, a swordsman, and a female thief. Not only had Miss Vanderbilt lectured her on proper decorum, but she had also slapped Natsumi with a three week long stint of extra cooking duties. Needless to say, after the three weeks were up, most of the student body was sighing with relief. Proph ventured a grin.

"You can't cook to save your life, Nats. After the second week, half the school was ordering take-out." Natsumi playfully punched him.

"So what is it, Proph? What's your sentence?" Satsuki asked him.

"Ugh… Two weeks extra cleaning and cooking duties. And she said that she was taking it easy on me!" The blue-haired boy sighed dramatically and lay his head down on his desk. "Thank Odin Professor Metcalfe interrupted." He cracked his knuckles. "Now, can we please talk about something else?" The girls shrugged.

"This History class is the coolest! Last year, it was sooo boring." Natsumi exclaimed. Her two friends nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Miss Cerulean's actually pretty cool. I never thought that the Church would actually participate in such things." Satsuki shuddered. Natsumi elbowed her seatmate.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Miss Vanderbilt was an inquisitor." At that, the three laughed. Prophesy raised his eyebrows mischievously.

"Well, she's definitely old enough." The two girls paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"That… is… so… mean!" Sats told him, in between giggles.

Natsumi shook her head in mirth. Their headmistress, an inquisitor? Perish the thought.

Just then, their teacher walked back in. She was carrying an extremely large and dusty tome. It was bound with black leather, and inscribed all over with runes, symbols, and charms. She tottered over towards her desk and dropped it unto the hard oak table. It landed with a heavy thud. Seryu tucked some stray strands of her silvery hair behind her ears and started flipping pages. She stopped on a page, and grinned, showing two rows of straight white teeth. She took out a small mahogany wand and tapped the book, twice. From the book, an image arose. It rotated silently and slowly in mid-air. Seryu Cerulean smiled, satisfied.

"That, my class, is an example of an instrument of torture used during the inquisition." The image consisted mostly of a long wooden staff, quite innocent, but for the blade at the end of it. The piece of sharp metal scintillated and shone, in sharp contrast with the dull wood from which it had been attached to.

"What is it?" Nicole Solaris asked, her mouth hanging open.

"That is a toe-sweeper. It was used to cut of people's feet, toes, etcetera." Nicole's mouth formed into a little 'o' of horror.

Prophesy sat up with a jolt. A bead of sweat rolled down his back. Miss Cerulean noticed the look on his face. "Mister Hyrule? Anything wrong?" Prophesy gaped at the slowly revolving vision and shook his head, his mouth opening and closing on their own accord. As the teacher started lecturing again, Satsuki poked the blue-haired lad's back.

"What's wrong, Proph?" Her friend slowly turned to meet her stare, and Satsuki almost recoiled in shock. His face looked like it had aged several years in a few seconds. His eyes were wide with fright, and his mouth was still opening and closing. Like a fish. After a minute or two, Prophesy closed his eyes and forced himself to speak.

"Satsuki! That… That image that Miss Cerulean showed us? I... I think Miss Vanderbilt has one of those. I saw it in her closet. She was going to use it on me, Satsuki! On me!" The brunette's eyes widened at this new piece of information.

"So she is an inquisitor! We have to stay away from her, Proph!"

"Oh no."

"What is it, Prophesy? What?"

"I told Grey before class to go see the headmistress. She wanted to see him, Satsuki. Maybe… Maybe… Oh Odin. I wonder what he did to deserve an inquisition?" The two friends looked at each other, their horror mounting. They looked over at Grey Wilde's seat.

It was empty.


	7. Of Mishief and Manure

_Thanks so much to those who reviewed. I warmly shake you by the hand._

_Alrighty… This'll be the last of the "Inquisition" series-within-a-series. XD_

_Enjoy. ;p_

))((o))((

**Inquisition 3/3**

The bell rang, signaling the end of History class. Seryu Cerulean closed the giant grimoire and smiled brightly at her class. "Well, that concludes today's lecture on the Inquisition. Next meeting, we'll talk about the destruction of Glast Heim. Comprende? Bye." She waved them out of the classroom. Prophesy joined the steady stream of students. He was looking for someone. He spotted who he was looking for and approached.

"Nicole?" He tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and smiled.

"Oh, hey Proph! How're you doing?" Her head was tilted to the side, the long blonde strands of her hair grazing her shoulder.

"Have you seen Grey? It's really important." He nervously scratched his head. She looked surprised. Prophesy gazed at Nicole, whose innocence shone through her blue eyes, her cherub-like face curious.

"Grey? Oh, uh… Nope… I haven't seen him since lunch period. Why are you asking, anyway?" Prophesy looked down unto his scuffed leather shoes.

"You don't want to know." She raised an eyebrow.

"Pleaseeee!" Nicole clasped her hands together and smiled brightly at him. All of a sudden, Aurikku, Nicole's room mate, appeared out of nowhere and hugged Nicole.

"Hi Nic! Hi Proph." Prophesy waved back.

"Hi Aurikku." The brunette looked first at Proph, who looked hassled, and then at Nicole, whose best 'innocent angel look' was plastered all over her face. Aurikku grinned coyly and winked.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The two's heads swiveled towards her, their faces contorted with shock.

"What? Of course not!" Prophesy indignantly replied.

"Oh. Uh. It's nothing like that, Aurikku! Really!" Nicole flapped her hands up and down.

Aurikku closed her eyes and shook her head. "Denial is always a symptom." She announced to the two, her hand cupping her chin in what she thought was a wise pose.

"Gah!"

"Wait wait! That's not the point." Prophesy looked at Nicole. "You really haven't seen Grey?" She glanced worriedly at him.

"No. Why? What's wrong?" Aurikku's ears perked up at the sound of the headstrong acolyte's name.

"Grey? Did something happen to him?" Prophesy suddenly looked started scuffing the floor with his shoes.

"Well… Uhm… You see…"

"Spit it out already." A loud voice not belonging to either of the three exclaimed. They turned around and saw the class vice-president, Eizenmeteor La Rouge, looking at them, his face cheery.

"Uh… Hey Eizen." Aurikku greeted him. He smiled.

"Yo." His eyes bore into Prophesy's. "So. What happened to Grey?"

"Well. Er… You know Miss Cerulean's lecture a few minutes ago? About the Inquisition?"

"Yah." Proph twiddled his thumbs.

"Well. Uh. I think that our Headmistress is an inquisitor, and that she wants to torture Grey."

"Eh?" All three exclaimed, alarmed.

"Are you sure!" Nicole asked, shaking Prophesy so hard that he was afraid that his head swould separate from his neck. The blue-haired boy nodded.

"Positive. There was a toe-sweeper in a closet in her office. Plus, she wanted me to summon Grey. She said that she wanted to 'talk' to him." He gestured wildly. "And you know what Miss Cerulean told us! The inquisitors wanted to question the 'heretics', but then they killed them! Or something." He scratched his chin, then shrugged. "Anyway! The point is this: Grey is going to get tortured. Probably for one of those mischievous pranks he pulled."

Nicole reeled back in shock. "I can't believe it! How did she find out…?"

Aurikku balled her hands into fists. "When I find out who ratted out on Grey, I'll punch them so hard, they'll kiss the moon!"

Eizen sighed forlornly. "Poor Grey… I'll miss the poor bugger." He clutched his heart. "Not to worry, I will give a stirring eulogy." He cleared his throat and pretended to hold a piece of paper in front of him. "Here lies Grey Wilde. His hair wasn't gray, but he sure was wild." He bowed. Aurikku whacked the back of his head.

"Don't be stupid. Inquisitors burn heretics at the stakes, remember? There won't be any funeral." Nicole suddenly emitted a loud sob.

"Waaah! I can't believe you two! Joking at a time like this!" She huffed and turned on her heel. She walked furiously away. Aurikku ran after her.

"Hey! Wait, Nic!" Prophesy sadly shook his head as he watched the girls' retreating backs.

"Who was joking?" Eizenmeteor asked him, confused. Prophesy buried his face is his hands, exasperated.

))((o))(( Nicole ))((o))((

Nicole Solaris knocked softly on the headmistress's door. No answer. She knocked again.

"Come in." She tentatively opened the door and stepped inside. Miss Vanderbilt was sitting behind a large wooden desk, a pair of glasses perched on her nose. "Miss Solaris. Why, this is a surprise. Is something wrong?" Nicole's lips quivered, then she suddenly burst into tears. The headmistress stood up, shocked. She went around her desk towards her student, "There, there." She said while patting Nicole's back. "There." She added, for good measure. "Now, child. Tell me what's wrong." Nicole sniffled.

"Headmistress Vanderbilt! Please don't punish Grey for the laxatives he placed in your soup the night before last…" She rubbed her eyes. "He didn't know that the bishop was coming that night!" She looked at the Miss Vanderbilt, imploringly. "He didn't mean to embarrass you. Really! Some of his pranks just get out of hand, that's all." The headmistress stroked her chin, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Ah yes. The laxatives. Don't worry your little head over it. I've recovered." Nicole smiled at her, hesitantly. She inched out of the door.

"Well. Sorry for taking up your time, Headmistress." Miss Vanderbilt waved a hand at her.

"Anytime, Miss Solaris." The student waved.

"Please don't torture Grey." She said as she closed the door. The headmistress stared at the closed door, her eyes squinted with confusion.

"…Torture?"

))((o))(( Aurikku ))((o))((

Aurikku Pryor sauntered into Miss Vanderbilt's office, her hands on her hips. "Please, Headmistress, don't do it!" The headmistress stood up, he arms crossed.

"Don't do _what_, Miss Pryor?" The young acolyte threw her arms up, exasperated.

"Don't punish Grey, of course!" Miss Vanderbilt stayed silent. Aurikku took this as a good sign, so she plowed on. "I mean, I was the one who dared him to put the ink in the Church's fountain…" She sighed and placed her hand dramatically on her forehead. "So if you want to punish someone for that little prank, punish me. Not Grey." She placed both of her hands over her heart and gazed hopelessly out of the giant window in the headmistress' office. Miss Vanderbilt rolled her eyes at her student's dramatics.

"No need, Miss Pryor." The young acolyte's mood instantly brightened up, and she stared at the headmistress with stars in her eyes.

"For real?" The headmistress raised an eyebrow.

"Uh. Quite right." Aurikku threw her hands up in the air and cheered.

"2, 4, 6, 8. Who do I appreciate!" Then she started doing an impromptu dancing session. The aging headmistress placed her hand on her forehead, exasperated. After a few seconds, she loudly cleared her throat, stopping Miss Pryor in mid-spin.

"I think that you would appreciate the hot food in the cafeteria for dinner tonight. It's Kimchi and Bulgogi, I think. One of your friends, miss… Um, miss Shizuku. She's the cook tonight." Aurikku grinned.

"Oooh… Yummy. Thanks, Headmistress! Seeyah!" Miss Vanderbilt sighed in relief, as she smiled a hidden smile.

))((o))(( Eizenmeteor ))((o))((

He stood outside the large wooden door, breathing in and out. This was it! Time to exercise his power as vice-president. Should he go for the friendly approach or the professional one? Hmm. Professional, definitely. He cracked his knuckles and pushed open the door. "Excuse me, miss Vanderbilt?" The headmistress stood up, after arranging a few papers on her desk.

"Ah. Mister La Rouge. What brings you here?" Eizenmeteor straightened his back and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath.

" Madame Vanderbilt, I implore you as the vice-president of the student body not to chastise Grey for the rubber chicken he placed into the stewpot last week." He paced the floor. "It was all in harmless fun, you know. I mean, no one got hurt, right?" He stopped, and scratched his chin. "Professor Hyrule was able to save Miss Alarius when she accidentally choked on the rubber chicken's leg... So, no harm done, right?" He laughed nervously.

The headmistress leaned against her desk, her arms crossed. "Interesting indeed. Rubber chicken, you say?" She straightened up and walked behind her desk. She sat down into the leather chair. "Quite ingenious, once you think about it."

Eizen smiled tentatively at her. She waved her hand in dismissal.

"You may leave now, Mr. La Rouge." Eizenmeteor bowed courteously and left quietly, closing the door behind him.

))((o))(( Prophesy ))((o))((

The blue-haired teen stepped into the mother superior's office, determined and grim. 'I am going to make my case quickly and efficiently. Yes, that's what I'll do!'

"Headmistress." Miss Vanderbilt looked up, saw him, and just barely managed to cover up a tired laugh.

"Come to save poor Mr. Wilde, eh?" Prophesy had heard that laugh and found himself brimming with a sense of justice. 'What kind of person would find pleasure in torturing someone?' he thought, disgusted. Passionately, he started to say that speech that he had thought of over and over in his mind on the way here.

"Yes ma'am. I know what you're gonna say!" He cried, and he pointed at her, as she stared at him, curious. "'There's no use saving him,' you'll say. 'We're gonna torture him until he promises to stop his mischief! We're gonna kill him if he doesn't stop adventuring on the fringe of rule-breaking! There's no way you can save him!'" Miss Vanderbilt looked at him, alarmed.

"What!" Prophesy, too wrapped up in his passionate speech, continued.

"But I won't hear anything of it! I'm gonna save that poor sucker's life any way I can!" The Mother Superior laughed. She wagged a finger at him.

"Torturing people is against church doctrine, you know." Prophesy continued, either ignoring the headmistress, or not hearing her.

"What I mean is… Just because he snuck into the girls' dormitory doesn't mean he can get killed for it!" He shaped one of his hands into a fist and he slammed it down hard unto his open palm. "It's just teenage hormones, you know. A fact of life. You can't kill him for following his natural urges!"

Miss Vanderbilt raised up a hand to stop Prophesy. Eventually, Proph became quiet. When the air in the office was still, the headmistress announced, in her soft yet authorative voice,

"Enough already. I've heard enough." Her student paused, then opened his mouth.

"So you won't kill Grey?" His aged teacher rolled her eyes, smiled, and nodded.

"Yes, I won't. I swear that I will not take young Grey Wilde's life." The blue-haired youngster sighed in relief.

"Thanks a lot, headmistress." He flashed her the peace sign. "You rock, man." She raised a grey eyebrow.

"Er. Thank you, Mister Hyrule." As Prophesy left, Miss Vanderbilt heaved a sigh, a smile on her lips. After a few moments, she asked one of the teachers to send for Grey Wilde, who had been training with Lana Alarius in the Pronteran hills the whole afternoon. She walked over to her closet, opened it, and took out a shovel, a watering can, and a pail. Mr. Wilde would need these for the next couple of weeks.

))((o))(( The Next Day ))((o))((

"Odin, help me." Grey Wilde muttered as he dug a mound of Peco-Peco manure into the flower beds of the Church's garden. He squinted his eyes in disgust as specks of manure smeared all ovr his clothes and shoes. He was getting sick of the abhorrent smell. "I wonder who told on me about the ink, the laxatives, the rubber chicken, and the girl's dorm?" He gnashed his teeth. "If I ever catch those stinking jerks who ratted me out to Miss Vanderbilt, I'll give 'em the old 2-4!" He muttered. As if to prove his point, he savagely speared his shovel into the manure, not thinking of the fragments of poop that covered his shoes due to the force of the shovel. He looked down, and groaned. "Great. Just great."

At that moment, Prophesy, Nicole, Eizenmeteor, and Aurikku passed by and waved at Grey, who was dabbing frantically at his shoes with a giant leafy plant, muttering obscenities. He didn't see them, so they shrugged and continued waking towards class, all of them thinking that they had individually saved Grey. They each were glad that they had confronted the headmistress, for if they didn't, he would still probably be locked in a dark dank room under the church, screaming with pain as the headmistress poked him with red hot needles.

Prophesy looked pleased.

Eizenmeteor grinned.

Aurikku smiled.

Nicole beamed.

_I want to take this moment to thank all those people whose characters I've used for these stories… :D You've all been really great to me, and though some of you may not remember be, I remember you. XD;_

_Credits:_

_Teachers:_

_Crescence Hyrule - Crescence (Dave:D)_

_Seryu Cerulean- Seryu (Seri. )_

_Carol Hart- CarolHearts (Old guildmate…)_

_Students:_

_Shizuku Mizu- Mizu-chan (Sandy:D)_

_Grey Wilde- grey(Rich)_

_Aurikku Pryor- Aurikku(Rissy!)_

_Eizenmeteor la Rouge- Eizenmeteor (Tansky)_

_Prophesy Hyrule- Prophesy (Dave! Yes, the same Dave.)_

_Satsuki Yumiduka-Misaki- Satsuki.Yumiduka (Pishy!)_

_Eluoj Oridel- Eluoj (Elu. XD;)_

_Nicole Solaris- unforgivable (Nic.)_

_Random:_

_Masaru Misaki- MasaruMisaki (Kuya Kev)_

_Amfielle- amfie2 (Clemce)_

_---_

_Okay. How come some of the symbols won't come out? Owel../ _


End file.
